An organization dedicated to bringing social justice for those relying on shelters to keep them warm is returning to Coquitlam this weekend.
The UpLift Canada Foundation is hoping Tri-City residents have some unused and unwanted clothing to upcycle to non profits in the region, including specific donations of pants, T-shirts, shoes and jackets.
Volunteers from the year-old youth-led society are set to roam the community in a donation vehicle on Saturday (March 26) starting at 10 a.m., stopping at homes that request a drive-by via an online submission.
According to UpLift founder Maggie Larocque, the foundation aims to alleviate environment damage stemming from clothing found in landfills and repurposing them for reuse.
"What inspired me to start The UpLift Canada Foundation was a trip to a local waste management facility [the dump]," said Larocque in an earlier interview with Glacier Media.
The average Canadian throws out more than 80 pounds of clothing each year, according to stats compiled by Waste Reduction Week.
"Not only was it an environmentally disheartening place to visit, but I witnessed, first hand, the sheer amount of clothing waste that is prevalent in my own backyard," adds Larocque.
"I simply couldn't believe my eyes, witnessing the piles and piles of perfectly good clothing that was simply going to waste. Something had to be done. Hence, The UpLift Canada Foundation."
This is the second time UpLift Canada has visited Coquitlam to collect clothes for shelters. Its first was in May 2021, about five months after the non profit was officially created.
Registered residents are being asked place their clothing donations in a bag and to leave them outside your front door for easy pick-up — and to allow for social distancing.
For more information, you can visit UpLift Canada’s website.
Items needed, and where they’re going, are as follows:
- with files from Ian Jacques, Delta Optimist
